September 5th, 2017 12:00am
I said last week that change would be the operative word going into the 2017 season and it certainly appears as if that prediction will hold true after the results of last weekend.
Eleven teams in our Top 25 poll- including five teams ranked in the top ten- lost last weekend. This appears to be one of those years where it will take a few weeks to really determine who the best teams are in several conferences.
There is one constant, however. It looks like Northwest Missouri State is as good as ever and a legitimate threat to win a third straight national title. Despite having a new head coach in Rich Wright and several new faces on both sides of the ball, the Bearcats dominated 4th-ranked Emporia State 34-0, out gaining the Hornets 503 to 246 in the process. Zach Martin completed 18 of 26 passes for 314 yards and the Bearcat defense dominated a very good ESU offense.
The surprise of the week was 3rd-ranked Grand Valley State losing 24-20 at unranked Indianapolis. The Lakers jumped out to a 13-0 lead over the Greyhounds, but in the end could not stop the Indianapolis rushing attack. The Greyhounds rushed for 326 yards, 206 coming from freshman Al McKeller. Laker standout running back Marty Carter was limited to just 57 yards on the ground. It’s just one game, but clearly the Lakers have some work to do on defense to live up to the preseason hype.
Rough Weekend for Some of D2*s Top Conferences
I said last week that the MIAA, GSC, and GLIAC are the top three conferences in D2. I still believe that to be true.
However, the GSC and GLIAC did not have good opening weekends. Between the two conferences, four ranked teams- North Alabama and Valdosta State in the GSC, Grand Valley and Ashland in the GLIAC- lost games to non-conference opponents.
The GSC went just 4-4 against D2 opponents, including 1-2 against the SIAC, a league the GSC usually dominates. The GLIAC went just 2-3 overall against D2 opponents. These early season non-conference games can be critical when determining which conferences get multiple playoff bids in November so the GSC and GLIAC will need to be much more successful this week.
News and Notes from around D2
-Senior Connor Jessop finally got his chance to be the starting quarterback at Shepherd and he did not disappoint, accounting for 526 yards of offense and seven total touchdowns in a 54-49 win over Notre Dame College. The Rams apparently have a bit of work to do on defense, however, so we will see how that side of the ball develops over the course of the season.
-The crazy game of the weekend was Black Hills State’s 47-41 double overtime win over Adams State. The Yellowjackets overcame a 31-3 deficit, including a 39-yard TD pass and 2-point conversion on the final plays of regulation to send the game to overtime. The two teams combined for 1215 yards of offense and 62 first downs.
-Special teams are huge when two teams are evening matched and that was very apparent in Texas A&M-Commerce’s 8-7 victory at North Alabama. UNA missed four field goals in the game and TAMUC punters Tristan Perry and Jake Viquez punted eight times for a 43-yard average, consistently pinning the purple Lions in poor field position. This kept TAMUC in the game despite four turnovers. Both teams looked very athletic and will make some noise once they find some offensive consistency.
-The shocking team stat from last week? Minnesota-Duluth was held to -19 rushing yards in a 26-7 loss to Sioux Falls. In their nine seasons since joining the NSIC the Bulldogs have been one of the top rushing teams in the country, averaging 262 yards per game. The last time UMD was held to negative rushing yards in a game was in 2005.
-Albany State beat Valdosta State 29-12, breaking an eight game losing streak in the series with the Blazers. ASU did it with defense, posting a shutout through the first three and a half quarters and coming up with three interceptions. It appears as if the Rams are a serious threat to return to the postseason for the first time since 2011.
-In Cheyney*s 56-28 win over Lincoln (PA) the Wolves scored all 56 points in the first half, which was the most points the team has scored in a game in 50 years! Since 1990, the Wolves are just 15-280-1 as a program with 16 winless seasons.
-Watch out for Minnesota State-Moorhead in the NSIC North Division this year. The Dragons limited a normally strong Augustana team to just 127 yards of offense in a 38-7 victory last week. With preseason favorites Minnesota-Duluth and Bemidji State both losing their openers, the Dragons just might be the team to beat in their division.
-The Pack appears to be back! CSU-Pueblo completely dominated in a 38-7 win over Colorado Mines last weekend. The passing game was an issue last year for the Thunderwolves but quarterbacks Brandon Edwards and AJ Thompson combined to throw four touchdown passes in the win. The only concerns would be the health of Edwards and starting running back Bernard McDondle. Both left the game due to injuries.
Top Games This Week
LIU-Post (1-0) at New Haven (1-0)
These two teams are both expected to be in the mix for the NE-10 title. Neither team ran the ball well last week, so the team that can get the running game going first will probably win this game.
LIU-Post 31 New Haven 21
East Stroudsburg (1-0) at Indiana (1-0)
ESU’s 20-16 win in the opener over 2016 playoff entrant Fairmount State should be an eye opener for the rest of the PSAC. However, the ESU defense will have to deal with the talent of IUP quarterback Lenny Williams and running back Samir Bullock this week.
IUP 34 East Stroudsburg 19
West Chester (1-0) at Slippery Rock (1-0)
SRU senior quarterback Tanner Garry threw for 390 yards and five touchdowns in his debut after transferring from Youngstown State, serving notice to the rest of the PSAC that he will be a major factor this season. WCU dominated in all phases of the game in a 51-9 win over Bentley last week. This should be a good one.
West Chester 37 Slippery Rock 33
Ohio Dominican (1-0) at Ashland (0-1)
These two former GLIAC rivals are now in separate conferences and regions but this is still a huge game from an in state bragging rights standpoint. Ashland cannot afford another loss heading into GLIAC play and I think the experience of quarterback Travis Tarnowski gives the Eagles an edge in this game.
Ashland 27 Ohio Dominican 21
Ferris State (0-0) at Findlay (1-0)
We will get our first look at the 2nd-ranked Bulldogs against a Findlay team that can be dangerous. If FSU quarterback Reggie Bell can cut down on the turnovers, the Bulldogs will have a big year.
Ferris State 38 Findlay 20
Arkansas Tech (1-0) at Henderson State (1-0)
These two teams both earned impressive conference victories in week one. The winner of this game will be the clear favorite in the GAC this fall. Ty Reasnor from ATU and Andrew Black from HSU are both very solid quarterbacks but I think the Reddies are superior on the defensive side of the ball.
Henderson State 30 Arkansas Tech 23
Mailbag
[Q] How will the new early signing date that Division I has in place effect recruiting at the Division II level?
[A] To clarify, in the past the earliest a high school senior could sign a National Letter of Intent (NLI) in NCAA football was on the first Wednesday in February. I’m sure most readers are familiar with this process. However, D-I will now also have an early signing period in mid-December for high school players. D-I schools can also continue to sign players on the February date as well.
I do not think this early signing period will have much of an effect one way or another on D2 programs. If anything, it might make the process easier for D2 coaching staffs because Division I schools will be likely to wrap up their recruiting earlier. D2 schools still rely heavily on the month of January to bring in kids for official visits and to gain verbal commitments leading up to signing day. D2 coaches should have more clarity as to which kids they have a shot at landing if the Division I schools are mostly done with recruiting.
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